//------------------------------// // Chpater 6 // Story: Of Two Minds // by CTVulpin //------------------------------// ‘Running away. Is that your answer for EVERYTHING Trixie?’ “She who turns and runs away, lives to act another day,” Trixie recited elegantly, gesturing dramatically with a hoof. The Double Mentally Occupied mare was standing just inside the door of her stage-wagon, front hooves propped up on the lower half as she guided the vehicle down the road through Whitetail Wood at a rate meant to leave even the fastest galloping pursuers in the dust. After teleporting herself away from the growing mob of ponies in the market, Trixie had made a beeline for her wagon and managed to get it and herself to the outskirts of Ponyville before the masses had caught up. She, and her mental passenger Twilight Sparkle, had been dogged for a fair distance down the road and into the woods, but now it seemed like the pursuit was breaking off. After using her hoof mirror to assure herself that she wasn’t being chased anymore, Trixie slowed the wagon down and turned it off of the path to park out of sight beneath a few trees. ‘We should have grabbed Spike before we left,’ Twilight said as Trixie closed the top half of the door and allowed herself to relax, ‘We need to go back and get him.’ “Eventually, yes,” Trixie said, curling up on a cushion and holding her mirror up, “But first we need to wait for Ponyville to calm down and drop its guard, and then make our move under the cover of darkness or something. Angry mobs are not be trifled with Twilight, and you must admit that was a mob.” ‘Have you ever actually been chased by a mob before?’ Twilight asked, feeling quite annoyed by the current situation, ‘You basically ran yourself out of town after your previous visits.’ “Do you honestly think Ponyville is the only place the Great and Powerful Trixie has found herself unwelcome in?” the showmare asked, cocking an eyebrow, “Between the Ursa Minor incident and her second showing, Trixie was chased out of towns by an angry mob at least three times, and even when I wasn’t, I barely made enough to get by on. In hindsight, it was utter folly to try and continue using my boastful routine without my stage, costume, or fireworks to support the image, but my pride was still too great for me to realize it.” ‘Oh my,’ Twilight said, ‘I… that must have been really hard.’ “You have no idea,” Trixie said haughtily, “How could you anyway? Princess Celestia’s prized student, I’m sure you’ve had everything given to you on a silver platter. You’ve never known want, or real hunger, to what it’s like to not have any real friends in the world.” ‘I know what it’s like not to have friends,’ Twilight said, ‘For years I buried myself in my studies, spending more time with my books than with other ponies. The Princess literally had to order me to make some friends. So, I think I can sympathize with you on that at least.’ Trixie sniffed and wiped a tear out of her eye, but then gave her reflection an askance glance. ‘A-anyway,’ Twilight said, feeling awkward, ‘You got through that, right? You’ve had more success lately, haven’t you?’ “I have,” Trixie said, “Thanks in part to that one unicorn… actually, both of them. If Soul Mage hadn’t outwitted me, I probably wouldn’t have bothered to listen to the other one’s advice. ‘The livelihood of the performer depends on the audience’s reaction to them. Please the audience first, yourself second.’ I ran off without giving that the thought it deserved, but after a few nights of sleeping on the ground with a belly full of nothing but wild grass I was forced to re-evaluate myself.” Her ears dropped and a melancholy shadow fell over her face. “I had to admit that I had let my persona as the Great and Powerful Trixie take over my life. My talent is in prestidigitation and showboating, to be able to leave ponies standing in awe. It was-” a knock at the wagon door interrupted the story and Trixie fell silent. After a few seconds, there was a second knock followed by a cheerful call of “Mail call!” “Mail call?” Trixie said in a quiet, suspicious tone as she approached the door. ‘That sounded like Ditzy Doo,’ Twilight said, mildly surprised, ‘She is the mail-pony for Ponyville…' Trixie frowned and opened the top half of her door with caution, peeking around it to look outside. A grey pegasus with blonde hair and bright yellow eyes, one of which was wandering slightly, was hovering in front of the door with a mail satchel slung across her shoulders. Trixie glanced around to confirm that the pegasus was alone before opening the top of the door completely and giving Ditzy an expectant look. “Special derp-livery,” the mail-pony said before chuckling at her own pun and pulling a letter out of her satchel. Trixie gave her an odd look before taking the letter in her own mouth and setting it aside. “Thank you,” she said, “but, how did you find me out here?” “Neither rain, nor snow, nor the intended recipient being run out of town can stop the postal service from completing its duty,” Ditzy declared with a salute and a big smile. The smile quickly faded though, and the pegasus’s eyes both slid to focus on the blue unicorn as they narrowed dangerously. “Also, next time you show your face in town, it had better be to fix up Ms. Twilight Sparkle.” Trixie blinked, sliding Twilight into control, as Ditzy turned around and flew back toward Ponyville. Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she closed the door and picked the letter up with her magic. ‘Do you have that entire town wrapped around your hooves or something?’ Trixie asked. Twilight paused, her reply dying on her lips as she considered her actual position in Ponyville’s society. ‘Oh, never mind,’ Trixie said, ‘I honestly don’t care that much. Can I read my mail please?’ “Of course,” Twilight said with a blink. When the two didn’t switch control, Twilight pursed her lips in confusion, and then counted to five before blinking again, this time resulting in a successful switch. ‘Roughly twenty seconds between swaps,’ she mused, ‘I forgot about that.’ Trixie rolled her eyes and picked up the letter again, since it had fallen to the floor during the control swap. ‘How is it that you’re getting mail anyway?’ Twilight asked, ‘You’ve only been around Ponyville for… about 48 hours now, and with me for almost all of that time.’ “Before leaving a town or city, I make it point to make sure my mail is going to be sent to my next destination,” Trixie explained, “I don’t get much mail though, and I usually pick it up at the post office, but…” She shrugged and checked the post-mark on the letter before opening it, and smiled when she saw it had come from Manehatten. “Ah, this must be from Mr. Arch,” she said, opening the letter and holding it up, “Let’s see… ‘Dear Great and Powerful Trixie, I trust this letter has found you in good health and that your tour is meeting with success.’ Well, yes, current predicament notwithstanding,” the showmare commented before continuing, “‘I am writing to you in regards to the upcoming theater season here in Manehatten. I know we had previously discussed adding your show to our line-up, but over the past few weeks I have been approached by a number of other performers and acting troupes who seem to be good investments. In order to make a proper decision between all the possibilities, I’ll need you to return to Manehatten as soon as possible for an audition. Sincerely, Proscenium Arch, owner and operator; Silver Halter Theater. P.S. I feel I should warn you, your competition is formidable.’ Hmph.” Trixie set the letter aside with a nonchalant air and walked over to her stash of books and scrolls. Twilight kept quiet and observed as the showmare began sorting through the books and setting a few off to the side in a pile along with a pair of scrolls. ‘So,’ she said at last, startling Trixie for a second, ‘Sorry. Are you ok? That letter…’ Trixie laughed, a genuine, if somewhat condescending sound of mirth. Twilight held herself back as Trixie’s eyes closed in amusement to avoid switching places; she was getting wary of pulling swaps in the middle of high-energy activities like magic or running. “Am I ok?” the showmare said, “Oh Twilight, I’m more than ok. I’ve got a challenge on my hooves. Ponies are lining up to try and steal the spotlight from the Great and Powerful Trixie, and Trixie intends to give them a run for their bits. Who needs the approval of Ponyville? The minute you leave Trixie’s head, she is heading straight for Manehatten to defend her place in the Silver Halter’s summer performance series! And while we wait, I can focus on creating the perfect act to prove why the Great and Powerful Trixie is the greatest magician to ever grace an Off-Broadway stage!” ‘Only Off-Broadway?’ Twilight asked sardonically. “I’ll take my victories where I can,” Trixie replied, opening one of her books to a random page, “Besides, I’m indebted to Mt. Arch for giving me the chance to escape the desperate pan-handling of street-corner ‘shows’ so quickly after my last fall. I intend to work with him for as long as I can. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got an act to put together.” ‘Just don’t forget, we still need to get in touch with Spike,’ Twilight said. “As if I would forget,” Trixie said with a haughty sniff. As Trixie had come to learn, a successful stage show depended as much on the audience’s reactions as the performer’s act. Even during rehearsals, having some pony around to observe greatly enhanced the experience and helped to smooth out the rough patches. Trixie had performed before crowds of all sizes and dispositions in her life, but none of those shows were anything like performing for somepony who was sitting in the back of your own brain, seeing what you saw and being able to read your surface thoughts. All in all, it was not a particularly helpful arrangement, especially since Twilight had no practical knowledge of what constituted good theater. Not that the other unicorn was entirely useless; she had given Trixie some useful notes on managing her magic during transitions between tricks. Trixie’s act typically followed a four-step formula. She would open with a dramatic entrance and a speech to welcome and entice the audience with promises of amazing feats. She would then begin a series of increasingly complex-looking sleight-of-hoof and illusion tricks that would transition smoothly into the third part: stories of monsters and heroics starring, of course, the Great and Powerful Trixie. The final part was impossible to rehearse, since it was when Trixie invited any and all nay-sayers to challenge her skills, and was never the same twice. For Trixie, the trickiest part of planning an act was selecting the stories to tell. For several hours, she had tried several combinations of stories, looking for the perfect increase in spectacle to leave the gullible properly wowed and the skeptics chomping at the bit to challenge her by the end. There was one story she resisted adding to the act though, simply because she didn’t want to hear Twilight’s criticism about it. However, as time went by without finding a set of stories that felt right, she gave in and began setting the illusions for her all-time most popular tale: the Ursa of Ponyville. ‘Ursa of Ponyville?’ Twilight asked, picking up on Trixie’s thoughts as the showmare filled the back of the stage with illusory houses and tents to represent the town, ‘You actually tell ponies about that?’ “Yes,” Trixie said, “with a little creative license so Trixie doesn’t come across as a coward at the end.” She conjured up a few pony-shaped blobs of light and set them to wandering about the set. “Didn’t your earth pony friend… the apple one, tell you about this?” she asked, “She came to one of my shows a few months back. She seemed rather perturbed by the freedoms I took with the telling.” ‘AJ did mention seeing you,’ Twilight answered, ‘All she told me though was that Princess Luna was there too and that it ended rather badly.’ “That’s a fair assessment,” Trixie said with a sigh, “It could have gone a lot worse though, with the way I was egging the princess on…” She shook her head and refocused on her illusions, which had begun to waver and fade. “No matter,” she said with firmness, “Just sit back and watch this, with an open mind if possible.” She took her place in the center of the stage and put on a slightly ashamed air. “Now, not all of Trixie’s adventures began so well,” she said projecting her voice while still sounding demure, “But even the hardest of beginnings can lead to opportunities.” She raised her head and gazed out at the trees, imagining each one to be a pony giving her their full attention. “The Great and Powerful Trixie had brought her show to the town of Ponyville, expecting nothing more than an eager audience and acclaim. Sadly, the residents were less than welcoming…” Trixie’s horn flared ever-so-slightly and the illusory ponies turned toward her and began approaching in a menacing manner. ‘It wsn’t that bad,’ Twilight protested. “Let Trixie tell the tale,” the showmare snapped. She cleared her throat and sent the illusions back to their starting places. “Sadly,” she said, picking up where she’d left off, “the residents were less than welcoming.” This time, the ponies gathered around in an attitude of booing and heckling. “Nevertheless, Trixie withstood the mocking and completed her show, planning to leave the town on the following day.” She dismissed the pony illusions and cast a spell to darken the stage slightly, simulating night. “However, that very night an Ursa Minor, disturbed from its sleep by something, came rampaging out of the Everfree Forest to attack the town.” A large blue bear-shaped illusion materialized at the edge of the stage and began tearing into the nearest “building.” “The noise awakened Trixie from her slumber,” the showmare continued, affecting a dizzy wobble as she turned toward the beast, “And being so tired meant she was not at her full potential.” She sent two weak-looking bolts of magic at the Ursa. The Ursa turned toward her and swung a paw at her. Trixie jumped back and rolled across the stage as if she’d been sent flying by a powerful blow. Regaining her feet, Trixie’s horn took on a purplish glow and the image of a purple unicorn trotted onstage from behind her. “Luckily for her,” Trixie said, resuming her narration, “there was a unicorn in Ponyville who, although not as Great and Powerful as Trixie, knew how to tame an Ursa Minor. By working together we calmed the beast and sent it home to its cave.” The purple unicorn image raised its head and a flute appeared above it playing a soft melody as Trixie “lifted” the Ursa off the ground and rocked it gently before moving it off stage before dismissing it and the other illusions. “And that,” Trixie declared with a dramatic pose, “will be my final story. Any critiques Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight’s long list of comments regarding the inaccuracies of the story was derailed before she could start it by the sound of clapping hooves. “Woo hoo!” a bright, cheery voice declared from somewhere in the woods, “Brava! That was an awesome story!” Trixie’s face screwed up in confusion as he looked around, and then leapt back in fright as Pinkie Pie jumped into view from behind the closest tree. Spike was sitting on the pink party pony’s back, looking slightly ill from all the bouncing. “Encore!” Pinkie shouted, continuing her praises. Handle this, Trixie told Twilight, blinking to give the other unicorn control. “What are you two doing out here?” Twilight asked, hopping down to the ground to meet Pinkie eye-to-eye. “Oh, right,” Pinkie said, growing sober to Spike’s obvious relief, “Well, I don’t think I’ll be needing your help with Gilda’s welcome-back surprise anymore Twixie.” “Why is that?” Twilight asked, giving spike a withering glance. “Don’t look at me,” the dragon muttered, “she came up with it on her own.” “It’s bad Twixie,” Pinkie said, “Gilda came flying into town just a few minutes ago with a bunch of other griffons, and they’re being really big jerks to everypony.” “They’re breaking everything,” Spike exclaimed, “Store windows, stalls, and a couple of them were picking a fight with Applejack when we left.” “Oh dear,” Twilight said, “What about Rainbow Dash? What was she doing?” “I don’t know,” Spike said, “I didn’t see her anywhere. I’ll bet she’ll be confronting Gilda when she shows up though.” “How many griffons are we talking about here?” “A whole bunch,” Pinkie said, “I saw One… Two… Three… Four… Maybe seven or eight in all besides Gilda the Grump. You’ve got to come help Twixie, we’re going to need all the help we can get to stop them.” “Of course I’ll help Pinkie,” Twilight said with a reassuring smile. ‘No,’ Trixie said, ‘I refuse to set hoof in that town again. They’ve made it quite clear that Trixie is not welcome, and don’t forget that we look like Trixie.’ “One moment,” Twilight said to Pinkie and Spike. She turned away from them and turned her attention inward. Come on Trixie, she pleaded, I can’t just sit back while my home is being attacked. ‘Hmph,’ Trixie replied, ‘Why should I care? There are already plenty of ponies in Ponyville, more than enough to drive out nine griffons. If they don’t have the backbone to help themselves-’ What about all your stories Trixie? Twilight asked. ‘Most of those are made-up, as you know all too well,’ the showmare retorted. True, the librarian replied smoothly, But in every one you pass yourself off as the defender of those who can’t help themselves. And think about this: as successful as you are telling stories that are mostly fabrications, wouldn’t it help to have just one story that’s more fact than fiction? Trixie paused and thought for several seconds. ‘You have a point,’ she said with mild surprise, ‘however, I’m just a showmare, and you still aren’t as good with magic as you used to be. How do you expect us to face down a gang of angry griffons?’ “Gilda’s a proud creature,” Twilight said aloud, feeling confident enough in her argument to let Pinkie and Spike hear it, “She thinks she’s superior to ponies, and her pride was hurt pretty badly at the end of her first visit to Ponyville. All it took was Rainbow Dash standing up to her last time, but if she’s got back-up, we’ll need a pony with more presence. Somepony who’s both Great and Powerful.” She grinned as Pinkie applauded.